Lawrence Cannon

[Canada Post Corporation, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member is asking the question to discover what direction we are headed. It is already known and no secret to anyone in this House. Canada Post is affirming its independence from the government.

However, in the latest election campaign, we made a commitment on this side to review this decision. A decision in this respect will be imminent. I ask the hon. member to bide her time.

[Infrastructure, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I also had the opportunity to meet with the hon. member's representatives. During that meeting we agreed that the work should be done this year and that in meantime the link joining both shores of the St. Lawrence would unfortunately be compromised for this year.

We will continue to have discussions with our colleagues opposite on expediting matters on this issue for the well-being of all our fellow citizens.

[Infrastructure, May 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her question.

I had the opportunity to meet with her a few weeks ago. We had a chance to discuss this issue.

We will have to wait and see what happens. It is clear that when the Liberals were in power they were unable to resolve the issue of full divestiture of the harbours.

[Transport, May 1st, 2006]

As we say in French, Mr. Speaker, la vérité a ses droits. There are some facts here that have been left undisclosed. The fact of the matter is that the hon. member had an opportunity to do something for the people in his area, and for 13 years he did nothing. We will handle the file. We are looking at the file and we will make a decision on this.

[Transport, May 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for his tireless dedication to rail safety as of 2004, shortly after one of his constituents was killed when the car he was driving struck a train at an uncontrolled crossing. It is largely due to the work of my hon. colleague that, beginning today, all Canadian owned domestic and freight cars will begin to be equipped with reflective material. This will help improve safety across the country.

[Transport, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I will simply say that this government is currently reviewing this file, as well as many others. Not only are we reviewing them, but we are also resolving them. I saw the Quebec transport minister this morning and assured him that we will deal with a number of files that the previous government could not resolve. The Highway 175 file will certainly be a topic of future discussions with the Quebec government.

[Grain Transportation, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada is reviewing the hopper car file and has not yet decided whether to proceed with the transfer to the FRCC or pursue other options. A decision on releasing the agency's study on the maintenance costs is on hold pending the government's decision on the overall policy direction. One of the key considerations is the decision on the overall policy direction, the direction's impact on producers.

[International Bridges and Tunnels Act, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, you are right.

In fact, the Speaker is always right.

As a matter of fact, yes, since 9/11 we have been extremely vigilant as a government. This is another step that we must take in securing our borders and ensuring that not only are they secure but, as I mentioned before, that there is a seamless flow between both our countries. We do understand that the context has changed.

As our political party has mentioned over the last campaign, we intend to not only stand up for Canada, but ensure also that our border crossings are safe. We are committed to doing that. In that regard, hopefully, this piece of legislation will get quick approval from all our colleagues.

[International Bridges and Tunnels Act, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, that is an extremely important question. I think the member is referring to circumstances where some bridges can be used for the purpose of allowing hazardous wastes to cross over to Canada or to the United States. In some circumstances the regulations that are in place are more or less respected. This legislation would enable us to put forward a comprehensive and coherent set of regulations that would basically cover the issues that the hon. member has raised.

In that regard, this legislation should, in my view, obtain a full and complete buy-in by everybody in this House.

[International Bridges and Tunnels Act, April 28th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member raised two questions more or less related to this bill.

I would like to inform the member that I am quite aware of the responsibilities being thrust upon municipalities. As a city councillor for the lovely and extraordinary city of Gatineau, I was in a position to experience this first hand. Yesterday, Premier Charest's government responded to many of these issues by signing a new fiscal deal with municipalities.

Getting back to the bill, the member's second question is about bridge divestiture and management. At issue are international bridges linking Canada and the United States, our trading partner. The bill will have a positive impact in that regard.

For example, we know the environmental cost of pollution caused by slowing or stopping the flow of traffic between Canada and the United States. As I stated earlier, this bill will give us the tools to improve the flow of goods between our two countries.